The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-02
THE DUEL.
when and Who're 1t Originated and
Some Interesting Incidents.


clever but eccentric English writer once
.,d of dueling: "It is the tie of society,
80 although we are beholden to our frail-
.;as for the chief ingredient in it, there has
,so, no virtue lat least that l am acquainted
I'm which has proved half so instru-
.,o,tal to the civilizing of mankind.
who in great societies, would soon de-
',,,oyate into cruel villains and treach-
a,g slaves were honor to be re-
moved from among them" But what is
hororg The answer varies widely, accord
mo 10 the customs and precedents of diff
farent times, countries and professions.
Among military men, however, an accusa-
tion Of cowerdice has always and every
,yhere been regarded as the deepest of in
IFS Wis, and next to this comes the charge of
faIsehood. A great majority of the army
dnels have taken place on these
two points. When one solder calls
another a coward or a liar, fight is in
avtable: for the man who on any account
units to resent such an offense must expect
w. forfeit the confidence and respect of his
comrades Fortunately, civilization has
now reached q point where it is possible to
so+tle all kinds of personal quarrels without
rosorting to duel but the time was when
Ibat was the only recognized method of
adjustment, particularly in the army and
five most stringent laws and orders against
if were habitually disregarded.
II is difficult to tell when or where the
dupl originated There is reason to believe
that it came i'll with the very morning of
history: certainly it had existence long be-
fore the invention of firearms. The earliest
military annals contain orders and military
reguIations forbidding the practice under
heavy penalties, and enjoIning the duty of
showinga val, against the enemy rather
than by avenging private injuries. At one
time there was court of chivalry, designed
10 settle matters of difference between Off
GERS. and to give sati. action, as Blackstone in
forms us, "to all such as were aggrieved
upOn points of honor-pointS of q nature so
delicate that their wrongs and injuries es-
caped the notice of the common law, and
vet were fit to be redressed somewhere
Aftcrward there was a special form of court
martial instituted for the purpose of bring
ing about amicable adjustments in such
cases and causing proper apologies to be
made and accepted; and frequently the SOW
ereign interfered to dictate terms and condi-
tons. But in spite of all these ameliorating
influences, the duel tlourished, and the
iuests generally escaped punishment.
Reprmands were administered now and
then, to be sure, but they were mere for
courage as to prevent encounters OF this
character.
The facts so to show, unquestionably,
that the effect of dueling when the custom
had the sanction of eminent military com
manders and the advantage of fixed and
Just rules, was, in some respects, distinctly
wholesome. 1t put a limit to malicious
gossip and made men careful in the matter
of courtesy toward the failings of others;
DI.-s ~ ,lo4, Of
respect. But, at the same time, it easily
developed into bullying on the part of those
who were fortunate enough to hit their OPP
ponents and to escape injury themselves,
and thus many fights were provoked for
trivial causes and from diShonorable mo-
tiveS. A certain class of officers had an
ambition to Income noted for the number
Of times theS had been 'sout," and hence
readily founj cause of quarrel in a straw;
and apaFty challenged by one of these bull
lies had no alternative but to accept, since
to refuse CT ignore a challenge, under any
circumstances, was to invite general scorn
and reproach. 1t often happened, there
fore, that the duel was simply a cloak for
assassination. A challenge once given, or
an insult once offered which required
challenge to be given, there was no room
left FOR argument or forbearance, and the
person challenged or insulted had to fight,
evo1 il he knew that all the chances were
against him and that his death must inevi-
tablgfollow
Mr. Douglas cites a very striking and sor-
rowful instance of this kind which occurred
IN India in 1912. An ensign named SarS-
field, scion of noble Irish family, and
Catholic, was sent there to join her ma jesty'S
One HuiFlred and Seventy third Regiment
of Infantry, and soon found that by reason
OF his religious faith he was distasteful to
his fellow officers They Systematically
stunned and snubbed him, and at last one of
instead of accepting the challenge,
he promptly apologized for his al
legged otfense, and thereupon all his
associates quit speaking to him OF
noticing him in any way. He endured this
modification for three months and finally,
When he could stand it no longer he went
10 the mess room one evening and in a clear
and decided tone asked the officer who had
challenged him to take wine with him. Il
aont take wine with a coward" the officer
replied. But you will take this was
Salsfeld's rejoinder, and he dashed the wine
glass and its contents into the officers face.
You will have to fight now, my boy" the
doctor whispered. II know it." said Sars-
med. I'm fact, l came for that purpose"
Inc nesting was arranged 10 take place at
once in the moonlight The result should
HoC Tor a moment be doubted. Sarstield fell
dead, shot through the heart, his own pistol
not having been fired, and the report was
sent to England that he died suddenly of
cholera
II is stated by Macarthur, in his work on
Military Law, that there is no instance
Vi an actual execution in Great Britain or
ireland III consequence of one party killing
ahother III duel fought fairly, and ON equal
Terms, and where friends, or i'll other words,
seconds, We're called in to bear testimony to
5le equality and fairness of the combat
courts martial, as well as civil tribunals,
nave invariably found reasons for acquittal
~ all cases where the evidence has shown
enat the rules governing dueling were prop
eIly observed. Mr.. Douglas might have
made his book much more interesting by
SWING some of these decisions. For exam
PIE, IN reporting the trial of Ensign Purefoy
dDr the killing of Col Roper in 17SS, he
sa0uld not have failed to give the remark
Spole summing up of the learned Judge,
paron Hothain, which concluded as fol-
lows: ''Such, gentlemen of the jury, is the
law. law and such are the facts If you cannot
, reconcile the latter 60 your consciences, sou
4; ;iu't return "a verdict of guilty But
a. inc contrary, though the acquittal
may trench on the rigid rules OF
the law, yet the verdict will be love
y IN the sight both of God and men," OF
ooqrSe the jury returned verdict of mot
sunIy without leaving the box. Another
summing up in a similar instance which is
Tnorth quoting is that of Justice Fletcher, III
Ireland, in 1879: Gentlemen, it is my busi-
d IeSs 10 lay down the law to you, and | shall